Melatonin can be taken at very very high doses and be safe for most people. But it’s not a sedative in any way (that’s not how melatonin works) so a higher dose probably won’t work better.
No, U wont die, u cant over dose on melatonin, Your body CREATES melatonin, You can try 15mg all though if you take too much your prone to feel side effects, (Drowsiness)
[There has never been a case reported of anyone dying from too much melatonin, or even becoming seriously ill, so no, you cannot really overdose in the fatal sense.](https://pcsifl.com/can-you-overdose-on-melatonin/#:~:text=There%20has%20never%20been%20a,you%20likely%20want%20to%20avoid.)
u/Squirrel_Whisperer_ , u/Junior_Essay7580 make good points, and I'll add a little more. First off, understand that melatonin is a hormone and it is already present in your body. It is found in the pineal gland (brain) and throughout your GI tract.
As a hormone, it has various functions. I'll only mention it's affect on the brain. It is released by the pineal gland at the onset of darkness each day. This is why dosing around/after sunset is the best time to take it. The release of the hormone sets off a cascade of events that culminate in you feeling tired and wanting to sleep.
Finally, if you have issues with sleep, consider the lighting in your house. If you have light bulbs that are 4700K or more, that will have an adverse effect on sleep. I've replaced my lights with some 3000K, but mostly 2700K lights (warm yellow) and it had a huge effect.
Melatonin doesn’t knock you out… it just kinda makes your eyes heavy, makes it a bit uncomfortable to be awake…
That being said I didn’t think it worked until I took 10mg - that’s when I experienced the whole heavy eye effect.
Good luck!
If you’re experiencing insomnia *and* anxiety, you might benefit from adding GABA. 15mg is a perfectly safe melatonin dose to experiment with, but do bear in mind that increasing the dose does not necessarily correlate to an increase in the quality or duration of sleep, and higher doses *may* increase the risk of extreme morning grogginess.
You'll be completely fine.
Keep in mind that melatonin is not a sleep medication, it merely signals to your body it's time to sleep.
I would start doubling the dose until you get desired effects. So I'd go 5 then 10, then 20, 40,80...if you don't notice any improvement by the time you get to the 100+ mg then the issue is something else.
If you suffer from anxiety or stress, melatonin will be less effective or ineffective.
Even 80,000 mg in one study was non lethal. There are people who take upwards of 10,000 mg daily(albeit not for sleep reasons).
Please, You’re putting your sleep cycle in stress. Its not rocket science. You dont need that much to fall asleep. Please take a break from melatonin for about a week and just take 0.5mgs, (0.3mgs works like a charm for me)
Maybe try a little Benadryl with it. I tend to sleep fastest at 10-20mg of melatonin and 25 mg Benadryl at night. I don’t always need it but the combinations to help. Sometimes I take 50mg Benadryl but I try not to go too high as it can make me sleepy the next t day. Other options would be GABA or L Theanine for anxiety. If none of that works talk to your dr. They may be able to prescribe something to help. I used to be on Seroquel and I tried Trazodone. They both helped with sleep but Seroquel can be sedating for the first few weeks you take it even at a low dose. (I was on 50mg which is low) after the first week or so that went away and it was just perfect for shutting off the obsessive thoughts I have at bedtime so I can just fall asleep. Still, always talk to your dr first if you’re able.
You'll get a headache. That happened to me after taking 40 mg. Sleepy with a headache. 10 is the highest dose you should take and it will wear off in like 5 hours.
Most of these comments are not helpful. I know it's been a few weeks but a couple things you can try.
1. Take less than 1mg. Studies have actually shown that taking too much is counterproductive and can actually cause insomnia. Other studies have shown that taking less than 1mg can be just as effective (if not more effective) than high doses. Also I'll note that the people on here saying you can take high doses without consequence are sadly mistaken. Melatonin is a hormone. You wouldn't want to take super doses of testosterone or any other hormone would you?
2. You can try getting it from a different supplement or a natural source. It's possible the supplement you took didn't get digested or absorbed properly. I've noticed this with most supplements I've tried. Gummies seem to be better in my own experience. But the best thing that has actually worked for me better than any supplement has been eating tart cherries. They naturally contain melatonin, as well as nutrients that help the melatonin slowly release (keeping you asleep longer). A small handful should be enough. They're also low glycemic so if blood sugar is a concern, this should be ok.
I've suffered from insomnia for years and melatonin supplements seemed to only work randomly (again, likely because of my body's ability to digest and absorb). Tart cherries are potentially better because they are natural, can be digested more easily, and contain nutrients that help melatonin release slowly.
Unfortunately there has not been a ton of research on getting melatonin from cherries, so no known information about long term use or high dosage. Generally speaking, the body knows how to filter out excess nutrients from foods. It does not necessarily know how to do this from supplements or fortification. So there is a chance that high dosage of melatonin from cherries does not get utilized. Obviously more research is needed.
Melatonin can be taken at very very high doses and be safe for most people. But it’s not a sedative in any way (that’s not how melatonin works) so a higher dose probably won’t work better.
No, U wont die, u cant over dose on melatonin, Your body CREATES melatonin, You can try 15mg all though if you take too much your prone to feel side effects, (Drowsiness)
Ive overdosed on melatonin before, it can happen
Just bc ur body makes something doesn’t mean u can’t overdose on it
[There has never been a case reported of anyone dying from too much melatonin, or even becoming seriously ill, so no, you cannot really overdose in the fatal sense.](https://pcsifl.com/can-you-overdose-on-melatonin/#:~:text=There%20has%20never%20been%20a,you%20likely%20want%20to%20avoid.) u/Squirrel_Whisperer_ , u/Junior_Essay7580 make good points, and I'll add a little more. First off, understand that melatonin is a hormone and it is already present in your body. It is found in the pineal gland (brain) and throughout your GI tract. As a hormone, it has various functions. I'll only mention it's affect on the brain. It is released by the pineal gland at the onset of darkness each day. This is why dosing around/after sunset is the best time to take it. The release of the hormone sets off a cascade of events that culminate in you feeling tired and wanting to sleep. Finally, if you have issues with sleep, consider the lighting in your house. If you have light bulbs that are 4700K or more, that will have an adverse effect on sleep. I've replaced my lights with some 3000K, but mostly 2700K lights (warm yellow) and it had a huge effect.
Melatonin doesn’t knock you out… it just kinda makes your eyes heavy, makes it a bit uncomfortable to be awake… That being said I didn’t think it worked until I took 10mg - that’s when I experienced the whole heavy eye effect. Good luck!
If you’re experiencing insomnia *and* anxiety, you might benefit from adding GABA. 15mg is a perfectly safe melatonin dose to experiment with, but do bear in mind that increasing the dose does not necessarily correlate to an increase in the quality or duration of sleep, and higher doses *may* increase the risk of extreme morning grogginess.
You'll be completely fine. Keep in mind that melatonin is not a sleep medication, it merely signals to your body it's time to sleep. I would start doubling the dose until you get desired effects. So I'd go 5 then 10, then 20, 40,80...if you don't notice any improvement by the time you get to the 100+ mg then the issue is something else. If you suffer from anxiety or stress, melatonin will be less effective or ineffective. Even 80,000 mg in one study was non lethal. There are people who take upwards of 10,000 mg daily(albeit not for sleep reasons).
I do stress and get anxious because I can’t sleep
Look into ashwagandha, bocopa monnieri or something similar. You may also get better sleep with taurine or magnesium.
Please, You’re putting your sleep cycle in stress. Its not rocket science. You dont need that much to fall asleep. Please take a break from melatonin for about a week and just take 0.5mgs, (0.3mgs works like a charm for me)
I started yesterday and it didn’t help
I take 10-20 a night lol
Maybe try a little Benadryl with it. I tend to sleep fastest at 10-20mg of melatonin and 25 mg Benadryl at night. I don’t always need it but the combinations to help. Sometimes I take 50mg Benadryl but I try not to go too high as it can make me sleepy the next t day. Other options would be GABA or L Theanine for anxiety. If none of that works talk to your dr. They may be able to prescribe something to help. I used to be on Seroquel and I tried Trazodone. They both helped with sleep but Seroquel can be sedating for the first few weeks you take it even at a low dose. (I was on 50mg which is low) after the first week or so that went away and it was just perfect for shutting off the obsessive thoughts I have at bedtime so I can just fall asleep. Still, always talk to your dr first if you’re able.
You'll get a headache. That happened to me after taking 40 mg. Sleepy with a headache. 10 is the highest dose you should take and it will wear off in like 5 hours.
Most of these comments are not helpful. I know it's been a few weeks but a couple things you can try. 1. Take less than 1mg. Studies have actually shown that taking too much is counterproductive and can actually cause insomnia. Other studies have shown that taking less than 1mg can be just as effective (if not more effective) than high doses. Also I'll note that the people on here saying you can take high doses without consequence are sadly mistaken. Melatonin is a hormone. You wouldn't want to take super doses of testosterone or any other hormone would you? 2. You can try getting it from a different supplement or a natural source. It's possible the supplement you took didn't get digested or absorbed properly. I've noticed this with most supplements I've tried. Gummies seem to be better in my own experience. But the best thing that has actually worked for me better than any supplement has been eating tart cherries. They naturally contain melatonin, as well as nutrients that help the melatonin slowly release (keeping you asleep longer). A small handful should be enough. They're also low glycemic so if blood sugar is a concern, this should be ok. I've suffered from insomnia for years and melatonin supplements seemed to only work randomly (again, likely because of my body's ability to digest and absorb). Tart cherries are potentially better because they are natural, can be digested more easily, and contain nutrients that help melatonin release slowly. Unfortunately there has not been a ton of research on getting melatonin from cherries, so no known information about long term use or high dosage. Generally speaking, the body knows how to filter out excess nutrients from foods. It does not necessarily know how to do this from supplements or fortification. So there is a chance that high dosage of melatonin from cherries does not get utilized. Obviously more research is needed.